Are Carson Wentz's Leadership Issues Behind Him?
The response was immediate, mostly negative, and to be honest, completely warranted.
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Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera and general manager Martin Mayhew have been on the hunt for an upgrade at the quarterback position.
The team was expected to get in on Aaron Rodgers conversations if he chose to leave the Green Bay Packers. A strong offer was made to the Seattle Seahawks for Russell Wilson.
After both of those options were off the table, it was expected the two men would turn to free agent Mitchell Trubisky, or maybe Jameis Winston.
Instead, the team bypassed both possibilities, and several others, to trade for Carson Wentz - being sold by the Indianapolis Colts just one year after what was supposed to be a career-saving marriage with head coach Frank Reich.
Concerns about Wentz go beyond the playing field. In fact, most don't deny the amount of actual talent the quarterback has.
His weakness comes in the form of mental strength, and in his leadership...or lack thereof.
Wentz was already in trouble when he was benched in Week 12 of the 2020 NFL season for then-rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts.
He would later admit to media he knew as soon as his butt hit the bench that it wasn't going to work out between him and the Eagles.
What followed can only be described as a temper tantrum by the former second-overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. As he stood on the sidelines being anything but a good teammate to Hurts, or the rest of his team.
A team that put a Captain's patch on his shoulder.
Before Christmas 2020, Wentz had told the Eagles he wouldn't be a backup to Hurts. Then, he refused to speak with his head coach for a traditional exit interview following the end of the season.
Pouting, demanding favor, refusing to speak when not getting his way. This is how he left Philly.
But Indianapolis was a new chance. And it appeared to get off to a positive start, relatively speaking.
Wentz threw for just north of 3,500 yards and had 27 touchdown tosses with just seven interceptions. And the Colts nearly made the playoffs after winning nine games in 2021.
But Wentz was the soft spot, and everyone knew it.
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The game plan for beating the Colts was to stop MVP candidate running back Jonathan Taylor, and force the ball into Wentz's hands.
Turns out, according to a report by The Athletic, the Colts were starting to figure out Wentz was their weakest spot before everyone else did.
Lack of leadership, resistance to coaching, and a reckless approach to the game were all cited as reasons for early - and growing - concerns in Indianapolis.
Following a late-season letdown, including an embarrassing loss at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Colts owner Irsay tweeted that he'd allowed, "doubt, fear and a lack of faith to slip into our DNA, and it will not stand."
After costing the Philadelphia Eagles more than $30 million in dead cap space in 2021, the Colts were prepared to carry $15 million as well.
Until the Washington Commanders saved them from doing so, in hopes this time Wentz will be the quarterback some thought he'd be back in 2016.
